A gruesome discovery in a Pasco County backyard has led to the arrest of a 25-year-old man in connection with the disappearance of a family of four.
Rory Atwood has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder after allegedly admitting to burning the bodies of his former roommates and their two young children in a fire pit.
The victims, Rain Mancini, 26, Phillip Zilliot II, 25, and their children, Karma Zilliot, 6, and Phillip Zilliot III, 5, were reported missing on June 13th after family and friends failed to reach them.
A welfare check was initiated, leading investigators to Atwood’s residence, where the family had previously lived.
Related: Pasco Sheriff Updates Homicide Investigation, Search Continues For Missing Family In Hudson
According to court documents, Atwood initially claimed to have no knowledge of the family’s whereabouts. However, after further questioning, he confessed to a horrifying series of events that culminated in the deaths of all four family members. Atwood detailed a physical altercation with Zilliot, leading to a struggle over a firearm. During the struggle, Mancini was shot multiple times, and Atwood then turned the gun on Zilliot, killing him.
Atwood then allegedly moved the bodies to the backyard fire pit and burned them. He further admitted to burning the bodies of the two children but did not provide details on their cause of death.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has been actively investigating the case, and the remains found in the fire pit are currently undergoing forensic analysis to confirm the identities of the victims.
The community is in shock over the tragedy, and a vigil is planned for the family. Atwood is being held without bond in the Pasco County Jail. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed as more information emerges.
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